Barriers across Monmouth & Brecon Canal path at Talybont drawbridge

[AndyK]

I was out near Brecon the weekend before last, checking out routes for for one of my cycle tours, and I came across some brand new metal barriers blocking the towpath at the Talybont drawbridge.

Where previously you could just stay on the level past the bridge, you now have to (coming from the East) make a 90-degree sharp turn downhill for a few yards, then turn 90 degrees left, cross the road at a steep camber, then turn 90 degrees left again and struggle up a steep slope that hasn't been surfaced properly, just had some loose gravel chucked on it.

The barriers are very new, very permanent-looking, and set in concrete.

It seems insane to me. Even aside from the steep slopes, loose surface and sharp bends It's forcing cyclists and walkers to cross the road at the most dangerous point, where a car coming across the bridge won't be able to see them until it tips down the steep descent towards them. The local dog walkers I spoke to weren't impressed either.

Are there any local cycle campaigners who know anything about this? Is anyone taking it up with the authority concerned? (I'm guessing either Powys Council or the Canal and River Trust.)

[pwa]

I've never cycled the towpath. Last time I was down there I was cycling from my home on the South Wales coast to Hay and I approached the bridge on the lane from the reservoir end and found the bridge stuck in the raised position. I had to divert to get across.

At a guess I would say the intention is to stop children running or cycling out onto the road without looking. But if it is awkward to use, a bit of feedback would be a good thing.

[AndyK]

The problem is that children would have run out into the road where they were clearly visible to approaching vehicles (slowly apporaching vehicles, at that). Now they'll be running out at a point where a driver can't see them until he/she is on a downward slope, feet away from them. It makes no sense.

I was going to contact the council and the trust but I feel sure somebody more local than I must have done so already... surely?

[Vorpal]

I was going to contact the council and the trust but I feel sure somebody more local than I must have done so already... surely?

Contact National Office, or your local Right to Ride rep?

[gaz]

It seems insane to me.

My own take on it would be that the old layout allowed cyclists and pedestrians to be adjacent to the bridge when it was in its raised position and indeed throughout the raising/lowering process.

Some errant rider might inadvertently (or delibrately, à la Danny MacAskill ) try to cross the bridge during the raising/lowering process leading to their injury or death. I do not know if any incident has occured to highlight such a concern or if it may be the simple result of some form of safety audit that had not been noticed in the previous hundred years and more in which the bridge has operated.

They are now routed around the barriers that close the road when the bridge is raised so that they cannot make that mistake.

I understand your point re the crossing location but the road layout would suggest driving speeds will be low on the bridge.

[Richard Fairhurst]

I'd suggest contacting Talybont-on-Usk Community Council. I believe they've been very exercised about the new design of the bridge and are in regular contact with CRT over it.

(Have to admit I always ride on the B road along there rather than the towpath; but if I had Fairhurst Junior with me on the Morpheus, I might be more tempted to use the towpath, and I don't fancy squeezing the Morpheus round those barriers.)

[AndyK]

Richard -

Thanks for the lead. I've just called the Community Council chairman: they are busy kicking up a fuss about the changes (which were made by the canal trust without consulting the Community Council, or any local residents, or even Powys Council's highways department). They had identified exactly the same problems as I'd noted. The nearby residents are also unimpressed by the newly-installed warning sirens! I'm sending him a note to add my support as a local(ish) tourism business.

Gaz -

The towpath actually passes by the fixed end of the bridge, not the lifting end, so it would have to be a strong cyclist indeed who managed to reach the lip of the bridge while it was rising, especially as that cyclist would just have ridden up a very steep approach road. Note that there are still no barriers across the road to prevent vehicles from approaching the bridge as it lifts.

I suppose it's theoretically possible that someone could be hit by the railings on the bridge as it tips up. The council chairman told me that he's not aware of any incidents or even "near misses" at that spot for at least five years, but he's personally seen several near misses since the new barriers went up.

This Google Streetview (currently showing images from 2011) shows the bridge as it was. I suggest "driving" the Streetview over the bridge, turing round and coming back for a good view of the old layout. You'll see there was already a bypass path for pedestrians and cyclists to use when the bridge was up, but you can see from my photos that the path has now been taken much further down to a much steeper part of the slope, mainly to make room for some new warning lights for road vehicles.

PS (because I promised I would spread the word) - The Community Council chairman told me about their project to create a "bike hub" at Talybont village hall, complete with bike-fixing and bike-cleaning facilities, to be opened in August. Worth looking out for if you're down that way.

[gaz]

Note that there are still no barriers across the road to prevent vehicles from approaching the bridge as it lifts.

Take a closer look at your picture which shows lifting barrier arms/gates across the road on both sides of the bridge.

I'm confident in my diagnosis of the perceived risk that led to the installation of new barriers. Whether the response is proportional to the risk is debatable, it is clearly not well engineered.

[AndyK]

You're quite right, there are indeed road barriers. That makes it all the more astonishing that they didn't think to consult the highway authority.

I didn't disagree with your diagnosis, except for the part where you misunderstood which way the bridge opens and therefore suggested a disaster scenario that was physically impossible.

[gaz]

I've not misunderstood which way the bridge opens although I concede that I do not know how quickly it moves from closed to open. A look at the raised bridge suggests the structure may pose a hazard to towpath users when raised without any need for attempts to cross the canal.

The design and operating mechanism of the road barriers may be new, there were already barriers in place.

BTW I do wish you a successful outcome but I expect this will be improvements to the new routing of the tow path rather than a return to the old layout.